June 2014 Your Decisions Affect Theirs
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STATES FIGHT SEX TRAFFICKING OF KIDS PAGE 5 June 2014 Your Decisions Affect Theirs Government decisions affect more than 300 million Americans a year. With Esri® Technology, you can connect with your entire constituency. Esri helps you demonstrate accountability, foster collaboration, and make the effective decisions that keep your constituents happy. Learn more at esri.com/government Copyright © 2014 Esri. All rights reserved. G64288_Esri-StateLeg-Mag_0514.indd 1 5.15.14 12.33 p JUNE 2014 VOL 40 NO 6 | CONTENTS STATE LEGISLATURES NCSL’s national magazine of policy and politics FEATURES DEPARTMENTS 4 POINT OF ORDER NCSL News 5 STATESTAT States Fight Sex Trafficking of Kids 6 40 YEARS STRONG Oh, the Places We’ve Gone, and the Speakers We’ve Heard 8 PEOPLE & POLITICS Insight into what’s happening under the domes © 2014 BRUCE HOLDEMAN 9 TRENDS & TRANSITIONS Marijuana regulation, paid 14 IDENTITY THEFT STRIKES YOUNG family leave, hurricanes on By Heather Morton the horizon, energy efficiency Identity thieves are targeting children who may not even and driver’s licensing for discover they’ve had their personal information stolen for unauthorized immigrants several years. 12 STATELINE 22 CULTURAL CLUES News from around the nation— By Melissa Hansen from rat poison ban to captive- The recent flurry to train health care providers for whale controversy underserved areas has policymakers asking whether we need a more culturally competent workforce. 20 FOR THE RECORD Q & A with Mary Wakefield, 25 NO WAIVER LEFT BEHIND Health Resources and Services By Lee Posey administrator States welcome more flexibility in meeting the “I come from the heartland challenging requirements of No Child Left Behind. where the creative use of limited health care resources is just the 28 OUTSMARTING THE OUTLAWS way we do business.” By Jo Anne Bourquard As smartphone thefts soar, lawmakers look for ways to protect consumers and thwart the thieves. 32 BEHIND THE NUMBERS By Todd Haggerty State revenues have grown for the third straight year, but 35 AS THEY SEE IT don’t go celebrating yet. Quotes and cartoons from around the states STATE LEGISLATURES | JUNE 2014 STATE LEGISLATURES A National CONFERENCE OF State Legislatures PUBLICATION Executive Director POINT OF ORDER William T. Pound Director of Communications Karen Hansen Editor NCSL NEWS Julie Lays Assistant Editor Mary Winter Web Editors NCSL EXPERTISE MEETINGS AND TRAINING Edward P. Smith Mark Wolf Copy Editor Leann Stelzer Contributors Sarah Brown 100+ Morgan Cullen 250+ Sessions at the nation’s largest legislative gathering, the Mary Fairchild Doug Farquhar Number of times media outlets in April cited NCSL research NCSL Legislative Summit Aug. 19-22 in Minneapolis, Minn. Scott Hendrick or quoted NCSL staff—a trusted source for accurate, Donna Lyons Topics will range from state budgets to Common Core to Ann Morse unbiased information. human trafficking laws. Register now at ncsl.org/Summit Heather Morton Rich Williams Elections Analyst Tim Storey in the Wall Street Art Director Journal: “Republicans are at something of a high- Bruce Holdeman water mark. There are still a number of states where Advertising Sales Manager LeAnn Hoff Republicans could flip chambers and come out (303) 364-7700 .................................... even stronger than they came in.” NCSL OFFICERS President Education Analyst Michelle Exstrom in the New Senator Bruce Starr, Oregon York Times: “Test prep is a big area of concern.” President Elect Senator Debbie Smith, Nevada Five states limit the time public schools can prepare students for statewide tests. Vice President Senator Curt Bramble, Utah Staff Chair Elections Analyst Wendy Underhill on National Tom Wright, Alaska Public Radio on 16 states with photo voter ID laws: Staff Vice Chair “One of those is Arkansas … we don’t know whether Margaret Piety, Indiana that will be in place” for the November election Immediate Past President because of a lawsuit, one of several voter ID lawsuits around Speaker Terie Norelli, the nation. New Hampshire Immediate Past Staff Chair Patsy Spaw, Texas WEBINARS .................................... Denver Office 7700 East First Place Denver, Colorado 80230 (303) 364-7700 Washington, D.C. Office 444 North Capitol Street, N.W. Suite 515 $0 Washington, D.C. 20001 How much it costs (202) 624-5400 SOCIAL MEDIA legislative staffers to Website www.ncsl.org/magazine participate on June 6 The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden .................................... in the NCSL webinar, State Legislatures (ISSN 0147- 0641), the national magazine of “Confessions of a Legislative STATE LIAISONS policy and politics, is published Staffer: Moving From State monthly by the National Conference of State Legislatures 1,783 Legislatures to Congress.” except July/August and October/ Register online at ncsl.org. November, which are combined. Women serving in state Postmaster: Send address legislatures. The statistic, changes to: State Legislatures, 7700 East First Place, Denver, tracked by NCSL’s Katie CO 80230. Ziegler of the Women’s 38 © 2014, All Rights Reserved. Legislative Network, was a States that NCSL liaisons have visited this year, including New Opinions expressed in this top NCSL tweet in the first magazine do not necessarily half of the year. Jersey, where Nevada Senator reflect NCSL policy. and NCSL President-Elect Go to www.ncsl.org/bookstore/ to Debbie Smith and Vincent Prieto, speaker of the New Jersey subscribe. Annual rates: U.S.—$49; foreign—$55; teachers—$25 Assembly, were photographed recently by NCSL’s Ann (promo code SLMTEA). Single Morse. Morse, a Garden State native, and Larry Morandi, who copy: $6.50. has family ties there, spent a few days at the Statehouse as Letters to the editor and requests part of their annual state liaison visit. Each state has one or for permission to reprint may be mailed to Julie Lays in the two liaisons to help guide members to all the services NCSL Denver office or e-mailed to her at: [email protected]. offers. Search “State Liaisons” at ncsl.org to find the list of Send subscriptions and changes contacts. of address to the Marketing Department in Denver. Periodically, NCSL rents mailing labels to other organizations. If you prefer your name not be included please send a written request. State Legislatures is indexed in the PAIS Bulletin and Expanded Academic Index. It is also available in microform and electronically through University Microfilms Inc. (UMI) at (800) 521-0600. STATESTATS | 5 States Fight Sex Trafficking of Kids uman trafficking sells people into forced sexual servitude and labor and is one of the largest illegal enterprises in the world, but determining the exact number of victims trafficked annually is difficult. The State Department places it at 2 million worldwide, with 15,000 to 18,000 of the cases in the United States. The majority of sex traffic victims in the United States are citizens, while most labor trafficking victims are immigrants, according to government studies. In 2003, Washington became the first state to criminalize human trafficking. Since then, all 50 states have outlawed sex trafficking, and most have outlawed labor trafficking. HRecently, lawmakers have concentrated on helping children and teens who have been sold into prostitution by passing “safe harbor” laws that treat them as victims rather than criminals. Often, they are at-risk, vulnerable youths with troubled backgrounds who are homeless or drug dependent, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force. This year, states are considering more than 220 bills that address human trafficking, including 24 bills in 11 states that call for expanded services to sexually exploited youth. Who Are Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Sex-Trafficking Victims? These charts are based on a federal analysis of cases of suspected sex and labor trafficking between January 2008 and June 2010. The majority involved the sex trafficking of young female U.S. citizens. RI Citizenship DC PR VI GU MP AS 83 percent U.S citizens, 17 percent other Age Grants minors immunity from being prosecuted for prostitution and directs them to welfare services ■ Grants minors immunity from prosecution or provides victim services, but not both ■ Has some victim assistance and/or anti-trafficking laws but no safe harbor law Source: Polaris Project, April 2011 ■ Life on the Streets 87 percent 24 or under, • About 293,000 U.S. children—mostly girls aged 12 to 14—are at risk of being exploited and trafficked 13 percent 25 or older for sex, according to a March 2011 FBI report. • Minors recruited or abducted into prostitution often are runaways or come from abusive homes or foster homes. Gender • The minors are advertised on websites and taken to streets, hotels, brothels, strip clubs and truck stops. • Criminal networks transport the children around the country by a variety of means—cars, buses, vans, trucks or planes. • An estimated 70 percent to 90 percent of youth victims of sex trafficking have histories of sexual abuse. 94 percent female, • The FBI has recovered 2,700 sexually exploited children since 2005. 6 percent male • In a three-day sweep last summer, the FBI recovered 105 sexually exploited children, aged 13 to 17, and arrested 159 adults in 76 cities. Source: U.S. Department of Justice Special Report, “Characteristics Sources: FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, “Human Sex Trafficking,” March 2011; NCSL; U.S. Department of of Suspected Human Trafficking Justice Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force; the Polaris Project Incidents, 2008-2010,” April 2011 STATE LEGISLATURES | JUNE 2014 6 | 40 YEARS Four Decades Strong Oh, the Places We’ve Been or 40 years, lawmakers 1974 ALBUQUERQUE and staff have gathered 1975 PHILADELPHIA each summer in a great 1976 KANSAS CITY American location for 1977 DETROIT NCSL’s Legislative 1978 DENVER Summit. At this premier 1979 SAN FRANCISCO meeting for legislators and staff, F 1980 NEW YORK CITY policy sessions offer ideas and 1981 ATLANTA insights and nationally known 1982 CHICAGO speakers inspire, challenge and sometimes even entertain us.